Charter Commission Picks Questioned
So not all the Charter Commission picks have been happily received and there have been some surprising things said about some of the newly minted members.
The two primary targets are Kevin Jacka and Steve Sundquist.
Superintendent Jacka is from Springdale and leads the Mary Walker School District. He is suspect because he signed a No on 1240 page (I can't discern if it was the No on 1240 campaign or the WEA campaign.) Nonetheless, many superintendents, out of concern for their districts, did sign the petition. (And indeed, even some of the districts recently signed up with a letter of intent to become authorizers are still expressing concern.)
Steve Sundquist, well, we all know he ran in November 2011 as being against charters. He filled out a King County Dems questionnaire and said he was against them (as well as vouchers). But he lost and by January 2012 was at his Legislative district meeting touting them.
Over at the Washington State Wire, they go over the issue in detail.
Turns out Lt. Governor Brad Owen's (who picked Jacka) had missed this detail. But Jacka says he had a change of heart now. "I think my position has probably evolved over time." "I see charter schools as fitting a niche, almost like a marketing niche, and I just see some opportunities there."
Oh.
Oddly, WSW seems to take Sundquist's "evolution" more seriously than Jacka's (but I'm not sure why). Sundquist's change of heart seems to have happened nearly overnight.
"I've come a long way in my thinking" was what he told WSW.
Maybe a long way in his thinking but it happened over quite a short period of time. (I'm not saying he couldn't have been pondering this question but he certainly didn't tell voters that when he was running.)
What is fascinating is that WSW asked the head of Stand for Children, Shannon Campion, about this issue and her answer is worth noting.
WSW quotes her as saying that "a public stand in favor of the initiative probably shouldn't be a litmus test."
I'm off to the first meeting of the Charter Commission tomorrow. This should be interesting.
The two primary targets are Kevin Jacka and Steve Sundquist.
Superintendent Jacka is from Springdale and leads the Mary Walker School District. He is suspect because he signed a No on 1240 page (I can't discern if it was the No on 1240 campaign or the WEA campaign.) Nonetheless, many superintendents, out of concern for their districts, did sign the petition. (And indeed, even some of the districts recently signed up with a letter of intent to become authorizers are still expressing concern.)
Steve Sundquist, well, we all know he ran in November 2011 as being against charters. He filled out a King County Dems questionnaire and said he was against them (as well as vouchers). But he lost and by January 2012 was at his Legislative district meeting touting them.
Over at the Washington State Wire, they go over the issue in detail.
Turns out Lt. Governor Brad Owen's (who picked Jacka) had missed this detail. But Jacka says he had a change of heart now. "I think my position has probably evolved over time." "I see charter schools as fitting a niche, almost like a marketing niche, and I just see some opportunities there."
Oh.
Oddly, WSW seems to take Sundquist's "evolution" more seriously than Jacka's (but I'm not sure why). Sundquist's change of heart seems to have happened nearly overnight.
"I've come a long way in my thinking" was what he told WSW.
Maybe a long way in his thinking but it happened over quite a short period of time. (I'm not saying he couldn't have been pondering this question but he certainly didn't tell voters that when he was running.)
What is fascinating is that WSW asked the head of Stand for Children, Shannon Campion, about this issue and her answer is worth noting.
WSW quotes her as saying that "a public stand in favor of the initiative probably shouldn't be a litmus test."
I'm off to the first meeting of the Charter Commission tomorrow. This should be interesting.
Comments
As a matter of decorum, we must accept at face value what our public officials or candidates tell us until they give us public reasons to publicly challenge them. As a matter of practical wisdom, we are fools to accept at face value what they tell us when it is out of alignment with the thinking of their base support.
It's a rare politician that truly thinks independently--politics isn't a particularly good career choice for people who do. And so unless you know for sure you are dealing with such a rarity, your default should be to assume that the thinking of the people he hangs out with is the stronger indicator of his true thinking regardless what he says he thinks.
In real life, haven't we all had circumstances where something we objected to came to pass anyway, and we worked within that new system as best we could? How is this any different?
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Will share, it so deserves too!!!
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